Strategy & Technology has said that it has successfully completed a CI Plus Proof of Concept project for Telenet.
CI+ capable digital TV receivers, such as Integrated Digital TVs (iDTVs), include a CI+ Browser – an MHEG middleware engine – for deploying interactive applications via a module inserted into the receiver. The objective of the PoC was to better understand how this capability could be used to deploy an MHEG-based Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and Video on Demand (VOD) solution via an IP-enabled CI+ Module.
Strategy & Technology is a company specialising in interactive TV playout systems and MHEG-5 middleware. The project required close collaboration with other companies, including Neotion, Sony and Samsung.
“We have shown that Telenet and other operators are able to deliver a full range of network-based, linear and on-demand video services, including catch-up TV via CI+. We’re honoured to have been selected by Telenet for this project, which clearly illustrates their forward thinking in terms of delivering their services in an efficient way,” explained Mike Alexander, Regional Sales Manager, Europe, S&T Ltd, in a statement.
The PoC utilises S&T’s MHEG Presenter solution to deliver the EPG and VoD on the TV. Access to VoD and catch-up TV content in a live back-office system was achieved through S&T’s Mediator platform, which provides a head-end based, highly flexible framework for such integration.
Neotion provided their IP-enabled Conditional Access Module (IPCAM) technology, allowing MHEG Presenter to communicate with Mediator over Telenet’s network and access the full catalogue of content. All video is delivered via DVB-C with the IP connection also being used for session setup and playback control via RTSP.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of the CI+ proof-of-concept project, which has exceeded our original objectives”, explained Bahadir Yavuz, manager, Technology Strategy at Telenet.
The PoC was demonstrated on CI+ iDTVs from both Sony and Samsung.
